I went to a cookie exchange this weekend that raised the bar. There were prizes for best tasting cookie, best looking cookie, best platter presentation, best recipe card and best packaging. This cookie won in almost every category and I'm fairly certain the votes were spread out just because no one wanted it to be a sweep.
The clear boxes were ordered online and the tags were hand crafted, as were the recipe "cards" which were actually little booklets. (they were round like a macaroon and the pages were the "filling" - over the top adorable!) To be clear, I did not make these, but I plan to next year! They looked and tasted amazing.
This recipe is not for the faint of heart, but it is a huge crowd-pleaser!
Macaroon Ingredients:
3 large egg whites
1/2 c almond flour
1 c powdered sugar
1 vanilla bean
1 1/2 c white sugar
Directions:
1. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Blend the almond flour, powdered sugar and the contents of the vanilla bean (scrape the inside) in a food processor until fully combined.
3. With a mixer, whisk the egg whites on medium-high speed until foamy. Add in the white sugar and whisk until soft peaks form.
4. Add the egg whites to the flour and fold to incorporate until mixture is just smooth, using no more than 50 strokes.
5. Fit a pastry bag with a large round tip and fill with macaroon batter.
6. Pipe 1" circles onto parchment-lined baking sheet.
7. Let the better rest on the pan at least 30 minutes before baking to form a film and prevent cracking.
8. Bake in an oven pre-heated to 280 F for 15-20 minutes on the middle rack. To test for doneness, gently touch the top of a macaroon to make sure it's dry. Gently lift the macaroon from the paper and if it comes away pretty easily, they're done. If not, check on them every 2 minutes until the bottom is dry.
9. Once removed from the oven, allow them to rest on the pan for 10 minutes to cook completely before removing.
10. Cool macaroons completely before frosting or filling.
Peppermint Filling Ingredients:
1/2 c butter, softened
1 1/2 c powdered sugar
3 oz. good quality white chocolate (chopped, melted and cooled to room temperature)
1 Tbs milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 c peppermint candies
Directions:
1. Place butter, chocolate, milk and vanilla in a large bowl. Beat until smooth. Incorporate in powdered sugar until combined, then add peppermint candies.
2. (optional: spread a thin layer of melted chocolate on each macaroon before adding filling)
3. Fill macaroons with 1 tsp filling, then place another macaroon on top to complete the sandwich cookie.
Glitter topping:
1 c water
1 c white sugar
Directions:
1. To make simple syrup, combine water and sugar in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Allow to cool.
2. Paint a small layer of simple syrup onto each macaroon, then sprinkle with glitter. Tap off excess glitter.
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